Interior-player piano.



M. CLARK.

L mum PLAYER PIANO. APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, 1909.

Patented Jan. 16, 1912.

3 SHEBTSSHEET 1.

M. CLARK.

INTERIOR PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED APRJZ, 190a.

1 I O J WN ZZZZZZZZ MN NM ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ Patentpd Jan 16,1912

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 flisA ornw M. CLARK.

INTERIOR PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED APB.12, 1909.

tilting .this. invention.v V

sectionalzrear elevatioriiof the devices shown- MELUILLE CLARK, .OF- CHICAGO,. ILLINOIS.

INTERIOR-PLAYER runo.

Specification of Letters Batent.

Application filed April.12, 1909, Serial No. 489,473.

To' all whom z'tmay concern;

' Be itknown that I, vltlnnvintin CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago; int-he county of Cook and State of l1hnois, have. invented .new and useful. Im rovementsiin Interior-Player. Pianos, of which the. following -isa specification, reference beinghad-tothe-drawings forming a part thereof- The purpose of this invention-is to. providean improved construct-ionfor interior for playing. .melody giving prominence .above player pianosadapted and acc0mpaniment. -for to any particular; part: of the music the remainder.

It consistsofthe. features of construction and their; combinations shown. and described as indicated invthe claim's. j

Figure-1 isz-a vertical sectiomofaportion of a pianoequipped with.xdevicesa-consti Fig.;. 2 is-za partly.

in Fi l,section.-zbeing; made at the line2+2 on Fig; 1. .Figs...3 and t-are'detail. sections at the.lines.-3.-3. and-PH onFigqI through:

opposite. end-portions of the exhaust air chamber and adjacent parts; Fig- 5 -1s .a. section-at the line 5-5 o1i--Fig. 1.. Fig.6 1s asection at the line. 6-6 on.Fig...5. Fig.- ,7'

is-a section at the'li'nev 7+7 on Fig. 5..

'In-the .drawings then-customary" parts of a piano ofordinary construction. are shown in their'usual; form,,comprising: the foundation1board-or.:base;.;A, manual keys, B, moimtedathereabove, having the customary devices-"for engaging the. piano action, a portion of which is conventionally represented to indicatethe relative position of the several parts. The customary pumping 'p devices for. producing the proper exhaust tension for operating the pneumaticwaction may be understoodas embodied in the conhigh tension chambers resp d and c,.lead to the. pr ncipal struction and as com rising-a hightension and low tension cham er, indicated by rudi-- mental portions' thereof; at. C and D respectively. The-devices; for producing the dife ferent tensions ofthe two chambers arenot shown; but maybe. of. any well-known form and structure ectively trunks,

mental. .act-ions respectively. Above the their. moving downward and positioned for acting downwardly by means of the connecting rods, F extend-ing'npfrom the-moving members of- From these low tension and:

and supplemanualkeys, within the piano case, there located a principal" pneumatic action comprising motor pneumatics, E, mounted upon the-primary pneumatic chamber, 13], contamingthe primary neumatics, 6, all of said elements being. of usual construction and relation to each other, the motor'pneu matics being projected forward from the primary pneumatic chamber and. having their moving walls upward for: collapse downward. The operating ends of :said moving walls overhang. the. manual keys for action downward thereon by means-of pit-- men, R forward of, the fulcrumsv ofthe keys.

' Patented! an..1,6,1912..-

. Below-the. foundationw'board there. is 10- cated a supplement-alaction comprising mo-- tor .pneumat-ics, F, mounteduponth'e forward side. of .theprimary pneumatic .cnam- .berQF, containing the. primary neumatics,

f, the' motor pneumatics being mounted with walls. upward for collapse the pneumaticsrespectively through the foundation board for engaging the underside of the'manual keys'which is effected by means. of the heads,- P, of the pitmen. interlocking with suitable hooks or eyes, 6, on theunder side of the keys respectively.

The tracker device for use with the two actions described is illustrated in theform in which" it is fully shown and claimed. in

'my: application Serial No. 4885625, filed April 8, 1909, and the same will be further described indetail here only snfii'ciently-to show the-relation of its parts to the two tion board. as described' This tracker de-.-

vioe. comprises the trackerboard, HiWhlCh has tworows of tracker mouths and correbe understood are differently spaced; to accommodateperforated sheets out. to differ neumatic actions when thelatter. are separated by themanual keys and thetounda- 9 5 sponding: sets of tracker ducts, whichuit may ent. scales.= The upper'of such. rows'ot-du'ctsg' and mouths, indicated by the letter;. Gr ,.-may,:

be-understood-to be-the widenspaced- The resent mvention- 1s: notzconcerned with this set, audit. is. illustrated only for the purpose of .indicating rzthat the. construction herein shown is not inconsistent with the presence and use of such additional set of ducts. the further description, however, it may be understood that the parts are adjusted for 5 cutting this set, G, out of service, and that the description relates to devices as thus adjusted. The other set of tracker mouths and ducts indicated generally by the letter, I, at the portion of the ducts which 'is' contained between the front rib, I, and rear rib, l, which project downward from the front and rear edges of the tracker board, comprises three groups,-a I, appropriated to playing the accompaniment or principal part, the group or groups, 1*, part at to playing the melody or secondary part, and the third group, I located intermediate the two groups, I and the extreme groups, P, respectively, said third group being designed for double connections, so that its ducts may be appropriated either for playing in conjuction with the middle group, or in conjunction with the end groups.

From

the tracker board flexible tubes of the group, I, lead to the principal action, being connected with the primary ducts thereof at the top, said connection being shown in Fig. 1. For convenience of assem bling the parts, the top board, E, of this action is extended rearwardly, and upon the upper side of said rearward extension, 6*, there is mounted a slide valve bar, J, having ports to which are connected at the upper side, flexible tubes of the group, I and branches, 1 of the group, I the ports of said valve bar being adapted to register with ports extending through the board, E, and having at the lower end nipples to which are connected extensions of said tubes, I and I whichare operated in two masses or trunks and carried around the ends of the manual and foundation board for connection 45 below the latter with the proper primary pneumatics of the supplemental action, as indicated with respect to one of the tubes, I and 1 in Fig. 1. Upon the board, E, there is mounted another slide or valve bar, K, having ports which are connected at the upper side of the valve bar with branches, 1 of the group of tubes, 1 the valve bar ports at the lower side being adapted to register with ports in the board, E", leading to pri-' mary pneumatics of the principal action corresponding to said'tubes, 1

, Both the valve bars, J and K,'are adapted for movement for registration and non-registration of their ports with those of the board, E, on which there are fulcrumed operating levers, M and N, provided for the purpose of adjusting the valve bars, and connected with them respectively and extending to any convenient point for manipu- 65 lation by the operator.

middle group,. .and ducts with which each end, appropriated said support having ent points in I- claim:- 1. An interior player piano, comprising, in combination with a manual, a principal pneumatic action and a supplemental pneumatic action positioned for operating independently of each other upon the-manual keys; a tracker board and tubes leading therefrom, a portion of said tubes being connected directly with the principal pneumatic action; a valve slide mounted on said principal action having ports to which a second portion of said tubes are connected said ports register leading to the primaries of said action; a second valve'slide mounted on the same support as the first slide having ports-to which a third group of said tubes are connected, ports with which the ports of said second slide are adapted to register, and tubes leading from said last-mentioned ports to the supplemental action.

2. An interior player'piano comprising, in'combination with a manual, a principal pneumatic action and a supplemental pneumatic action, and connections from the motor neumatics of said'actions respectively for operating on the manual keys at differtheir length; a tracker board and tubes leading therefrom, a portion of said tubes being connected directly to the principal action; a .valve slide mounted on said principal action having ports to which a second portion of said tubes are connected and ducts with which said ports register leading to the primaries of said action; a second valve slide mounted on the same support as the first slide having ports to which a third group of said tubes are connected, said supports having ports with which the ports of the second slide are adapted to register, and tubes leading from said last-mentioned ports to the supplemental action.

3. In an interior player piano, coi'n'prisin the combination of a manual, a prlncipa pneumatic action and a supplemental pneu- 11o matic action, the former being located above the manual keys and positioned for acting downward upon said keys forward of their fulcrums, the other being located below the portion of the manual keys forward of their fulcrums, connections from the motor pneumatics of the latter action, for engaging the manual keys for depressing them at their forwardends, a tracker board and tubes leading therefrom, a portion of said tubes being connected directly to the principal pneumatic action, a valve slide mounted onv said principal actionhaving ports to which a second portion of said tubes are connected and ducts with which said ports register, leading to the rimaries of said action, a second valve sli e mounted on the same support as the first slide, having ports to which a third group'of said tubes are connected, said support having ports with which the 13( Lemme ports of said second slide are adapted to In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set reglster; tubes leading from said last menmy hand, in the presence of two Witnesses, at

tioned ports to the supplemental action, said Chicago, I11in0is,March 25, 1908.

tubes being grouped for extending down MELVILLE CLARK. 5 past the manual keys at the opposite ends of I In the presence oit'- I the instrument to reach their connections M. GERTRUDE ADY, w th the supplemental action. 1 JULIA S. ABBOTT. 

